Category: Moments in history

This week in history…(30 January – 5 February)

31 January On 31 January 1999 Keigo Abe resigned from the Matsuno faction of the JKA. Masatoshi Nakayama, the Chief Instructor of the JKA, died in 1987. Tokyo businessman, Nobuyuki Nakahara became the Chairman of the JKA. A number of instructors, led by Tetsuhiko Asai, disagreed with the decision. This led to a split in …

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This week in history…(23 January – 29 January)

23 January On 23 January 1949, Henri Plee was graded to his Judo 1st Dan under Mikinosuke Kawaishi. Plee became the 16th Judoka to attain this rank in France. On 23 January 1973, Nicholas Pettas was born on the island of Mykonos, Greece. Sometimes known as the ‘Blue-eyed Samurai‘, Nicholas Pettas was one of Mas …

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This week in history…(16 January – 22 January)

19 January Between 19 – 20 January 2012, the 3rd Japan Cup Karatedo Championships was co-hosted in Burma by the Japanese Embassy and the Myanmar Karatedo Federation. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported them. The event was held at the Aung San Indoor Stadium in Yangon. During the opening ceremony, Fujikiyo Omura gave …

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This week in history…(9 January – 15 January)

9 January On 9 January 2015, Siam Camp 2015 took place at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. It was the 14th Shotokan Karate gasshuku held in Bangkok. Apart from Fujikiyo Omura, the other JKA instructors teaching were Koichi Sugimura and Tatsuya Naka. 11 January On 11 January 1988, Nicholas Pettas watched his first Karate class and …

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This week in history…(2 January – 8 January)

6 January On 6 January 1967, Michael Randall gained his 1st Dan from Hirokazu Kanazawa. He was one of the first men in Britain to gain the rank of 1st Dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). At the time of writing Randall is one of a handful of people currently training to have trained …

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This week in history…(26 December – 1 January)

27 December On 27 December 1975, the film, ‘Karate Bearfighter‘ was released in Japan, as part of a trilogy of films based on the life of Mas Oyama. Sonny Chiba played the role of his teacher, Mas Oyama. The first film in the trilogy, ‘Karate Bullfighter‘ was released on 9 August 1975 in Japan. The …

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This week in history…(19 December – 25 December)

19 December On 19 December 1963 Vernon Bell received a letter from Masatomo Takagi, the General Manager of the JKA (Japan Karate Association), requesting that the BKF (British Karate Federation) officially act as the authorized representative of the JKA in Britain. Earlier that year Bell had received a letter from Takagi indicating that Tetsuji Murakami …

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This week in history…(12 December -18 December)

12 December On 12 December 1965 Hirokazu Kanazawa held his first grading at the BKF (British Karate Federation)’s Nottingham dojo. The BKF had arranged with the JKA (Japan Karate Association) for Kanazawa to reside in the United Kingdom for a year, teaching Shotokan Karate. On 12 December 2008, Henri Plee was honoured for his services …

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This week in history…(5 December – 11 December)

5 December On 5 December 1944, the founder of Ashihara Karate, Hideyuki Ashihara, was born in Hiroshima, Japan. He was a direct student of Kyokushin founder, Mas Oyama. Ashihara was considered a formidable fighter, and by 1966 he was an instructor of Kyokushin Karate at the organisation’s Hombu (headquarters). In 1987 Ashihara started showing the first signs of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). His condition gradually worsened and on 24 …

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This week in history…(28 November – 4 December)

28 November On 28 November 1934 Frank Cope, a pioneer of British Shotokan Karate, was born in Liverpool. A long-time member of the KUGB (Karate Union of Great Britain) he would become one of the first Karate black belts in Britain. On 28 November 2009, the 9th Open Weight Kyokushin Championships were held in Paris. There were 166 …

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